Months after bird flu outbreak in Kerala, poultry farmers still await compensation

Poultry farmers in Kerala await compensation after bird flu outbreak, facing financial struggles due to delayed aid.

Several months after bird flu (H5N1) hit Central Travancore in Kerala, poultry farmers are still waiting for compensation from the Kerala government.

According to data provided by the Animal Husbandry department (AHD), more than 2.56 lakh birds, including ducks, chicken and quail, were dead/culled during the 2024 outbreak in three districts of Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta. Though the AHD identified 1,192 farmers eligible for compensation – 909 in Alappuzha, 216 in Kottayam and 67 in Pathanamthitta – disbursement has been delayed due to a “fund crunch.”

The delay in providing aid has left poultry farmers in the region in dire straits. Following the previous avian flu outbreaks, the government compensated farmers with ₹200 for each bird above 60 days old, ₹100 for birds below 60 days old and ₹5 for every destroyed egg.

B. Rajasekharan, president, Aikya Tharavu Karshaka Sangham, expressed frustration over the delay. “The government barely acknowledges the struggles of duck and other poultry farmers. The government’s indifferent attitude is forcing many duck farmers to seek alternative livelihoods,” Mr. Rajasekharan said.

Meanwhile, an official attached to the office of Minister for Animal Husbandry J. Chinchurani said they expect to disburse compensation soon. “The delay in paying farmers who suffered losses due to avian flu has been caused by a fund crunch. An amount of ₹1.53 crore allocated by the Union government has already been received and the State Finance department recently sanctioned an equivalent State share. This brings the total amount to ₹3.06 crore, which will soon be disbursed,” the official said.

The latest outbreak of bird flu was confirmed on April 16, 2024, in ducks at Ward 1 of Edathua grama panchayat in Alappuzha. The disease was later confirmed in 38 epicentres, including broiler chicken and quail farms, in the three districts.

Apart from ducks, chicken and quail, 19 samples of free-flying, peri-domestic birds and wild birds tested positive for the disease. However, no fresh cases of avian flu have been reported in the region since July 12.